St Joseph's Church Benalla
It is good to remember happy occasions and to celebrate them well. One hundred and ten years ago this day six sisters belonging to the religious congregation of the Faithful Companions of Jesus arrived here in Benalla to start their ministry in the school. In her book about the sisters, Sister M.Clare O’Connor describes the scene of the sister’s arrival “It was shortly before midday, Augusts 14, 1900 and a great crowd gathered outside St Joseph’s Church Benalla a country town in North Eastern Victoria to welcome the F.C.J Sisters.
They had arrived at the station at 11.30am, having made the five hour journey of 120 miles from Melbourne and since the crowd had heard the trains whistle excitement had been mounting. Little Mary Brennan (now Sr Miriam F.C.J) leaned out of her place in the line of school children, to get a better view of the road. Suddenly, she tells us, as Dean Davey’s buggy rounded the corner from Bridge Street followed by several others, a cheer broke out. Then the cortege halted and all eyes were on the black robed ladies Mother Xavier MacDonald, the Provincial and the six members of the new community – as they were handed down from the vehicles. The sisters somewhat overwhelmed by their reception at the station tell us, “In the church grounds, we received a real Irish welcome from a still larger crowd. We then proceeded to the singing of ‘Faith of our Fathers’ into the church where benediction of the Blessed Sacrament was given and the Te Deum was sung”.
What a great welcome and what great celebrations you have been having over this weekend in order to mark adequately and properly in gratitude for the great work of the F.C.J sisters in the parish community of Benalla and elsewhere. Why is it so important to celebrate such occasions with vigor and passion? The reason is the same as to why we make so many efforts to establish parishes, build schools and churches. It is because of our faith. As Catholics we have an awesome call and vocation. We are called not only to say nice things to one another and to do good things to one another and to those in need. We are also called for something much more life changing and radical. We are called to change the world. We are called to change our country and our society based on the values and principles of Jesus Christ as lived within the Catholic community.
This has many challenges. What you and I stand for is very radical and very counter cultural. What you and I stand for very often is the direct opposite of what many in our society hold to be the accepted way of thinking, acting and behaving. The temptation is that we forget our call and be swamped or be totally influenced by what the many think or say. We are different, not because we pretend that we are better than others but because our way of acting, living and behaving is based on what Jesus has taught and on his attitudes and sentiments. What are we doing to get the necessary strength to persevere in our call? Where are we going to be nurtured so that in the midst of difficulties, anxieties, fears and problems we keep persevering knowing that ultimately it is only by being faithful to the values of Jesus Christ we are going to find true peace and fulfillment?
This is where the teaching and the pastoral ministry of the sisters over so many years proved to be so important. Together with their endeavors, example and zeal, over the years they were joined in this mission by the many priests and people who have provided genuine and selfless care and service to the people of this parish. Right from the start of their work in the parish of Benalla, the sisters knew precisely what was expected of them. Addressing the sisters on their arrival the parish priest of that time Dean Owen Davey had this to say “You will instill in to their minds (the children at the school) the principles of our holy faith and, by your own example, you will make them kind and gentle, modest and humble, courteous and obedient”. Our gratitude as a diocese goes to you sisters in a particular way today for your presence among us over the past one hundred and ten years.
Where do we go from here? We need to keep building on what we have received so that we are enabled to pass on to others what we have received. What are we going to pass on? Our faith is so rich with ways of living, thinking and acting which help us to live in a manner so that we can reach our full potential as human beings created by God and to be a source of blessing to others. I just desire to limit myself to one remark taken from the readings of today’s feast.
In the gospel we read about Mary going to visit her cousin. She had just realized the awesome call that God had planned for her. Yes she struggled with it. She could not understand it completely. She became anxious and fearful. She doubted whether this was for real. Yet at the end she submitted herself to do what God was asking of her rather than becoming stuck on what she was feeling. This is a great lesson for us. We are very aware that today we are bombarded with the attitude that you can find happiness and fulfillment by doing your own thing. If something sounds good to you then go for it. If many of your friends and the opinion polls in our newspapers and magazines tell us that this is the right way of acting and feeling then it must be the right thing to do. However, true happiness is not found by doing what I feel like doing or by following what others do even though they might be in the majority. True happiness is found by doing what Jesus is asking me to do.
I turn especially to the young people who are here today. It is wonderful to be in your company. You are the people who today are benefitting from the work of the sisters. You are the church of today who help tremendously by your zeal, energy and generosity to pass on to your friends the transforming power of Jesus Christ. And so like Mary I ask you don’t spend you life sitting on the fence, keeping your options open or living by simply doing your own thing. Only commitments bring fulfillment. One commitment is much more powerful then a thousand options. Let us once again this evening together decide to follow Jesus Christ as our only guide and master. Let us together unite our gifts, talents, energies and enthusiasm to proclaim wherever we might be that happiness comes for being like the sisters, Faithful Companions of Jesus and let us put into practice this call whenever the opportunity presents itself.
God Bless
